Communication devices, such as wireless mobile devices, are increasingly powerful and the sources of potential incoming messages are increasingly more varied. As a result, such communication devices are being designed and built to permit users to accept various different heterogeneous messages. A single communication device may, for example, accept messages sent in an e-mail format, an SMS (Short Message Service) format, a telephone voice mail format, or an IM (Instant Message) format. With such a device, the user is able to select an appropriate application running on the communication device to have any one of such messages displayed or replayed to the user.
While most individuals use a specific communication method for a specific purpose, in many cases a series of communications takes place with the same person over multiple channels. While this wide variety of communication methods gives the sender and the recipient increased choice and flexibility, it can become more difficult to simply and understandably display and manage the messages that a recipient may have received from a particular person where such messages have been received over differing communications channels.
Communication devices display and manage different types of messages using different applications executing on the devices. Consequently locating, reading, comparing, or responding to potentially heterogeneous messages typically requires a user to make use of several different applications, with potentially varying interfaces.
It is therefore desirable to provide a system and method for the display and management of communications sent using different communications methods that does not require the user to manipulate multiple applications.